How many people total?
IF you got FD and could stay in a Value - it likely would be less expensive to stay onsite (at least given my experience), however, when you're talking about MODs or up and especially multiple rooms at MODs and up - even with Free Dining you likely are ending up saving quite a bit of money if you stay offsite EVEN when factoring in the car rental (with a good discount code), gas and parking. Of course, this is all null and void if you want to eat a really expensive onsite sit-downs and/or character meals every day of your trip. In that case the 2 rooms at a MOD will likely end up less expensive.
I LOVE staying offsite and I love staying onsite too - but it is so much more relaxing offsite - you can leave and hang in your rooms with MUCH more room than you get onsite and break open a bottle of wine in your kitchen area and enjoy a leisurely dinner in your kitchen (we always pickup to go since I don't like cooking on vacation). Avoiding the food courts that are always SO CHAOTIC on the way back from the parks is a huge bonus to staying offsite IMO.
Back in December - we got a 2 room suite at Staybridge Suites for $75 a night for 4 adults and 2 kids. Has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, small kitchen and living room area. FULL, HOT breakfast was included (we would have paid at least $75 to eat what we all had for breakfast every day and we got it for free). When you consider we rented a car for about $120 and paid minimal to nothing on gas (it is located just outside WDW gates) AND we ate at least 2 meals in our room...We splurged on one expensive sit down meal onsite and ate twice at reasonable offsite places. I figured we saved somewhere between $800 and $1000 and that was if we got 2 rooms at VALUE resorts with free dining. That number might almost double if we were comparing it to 2 rooms at a MOD resort.
Dont' be afraid of offsite - it can be your friend.
IF you got FD and could stay in a Value - it likely would be less expensive to stay onsite (at least given my experience), however, when you're talking about MODs or up and especially multiple rooms at MODs and up - even with Free Dining you likely are ending up saving quite a bit of money if you stay offsite EVEN when factoring in the car rental (with a good discount code), gas and parking. Of course, this is all null and void if you want to eat a really expensive onsite sit-downs and/or character meals every day of your trip. In that case the 2 rooms at a MOD will likely end up less expensive.
I LOVE staying offsite and I love staying onsite too - but it is so much more relaxing offsite - you can leave and hang in your rooms with MUCH more room than you get onsite and break open a bottle of wine in your kitchen area and enjoy a leisurely dinner in your kitchen (we always pickup to go since I don't like cooking on vacation). Avoiding the food courts that are always SO CHAOTIC on the way back from the parks is a huge bonus to staying offsite IMO.
Back in December - we got a 2 room suite at Staybridge Suites for $75 a night for 4 adults and 2 kids. Has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, small kitchen and living room area. FULL, HOT breakfast was included (we would have paid at least $75 to eat what we all had for breakfast every day and we got it for free). When you consider we rented a car for about $120 and paid minimal to nothing on gas (it is located just outside WDW gates) AND we ate at least 2 meals in our room...We splurged on one expensive sit down meal onsite and ate twice at reasonable offsite places. I figured we saved somewhere between $800 and $1000 and that was if we got 2 rooms at VALUE resorts with free dining. That number might almost double if we were comparing it to 2 rooms at a MOD resort.
Dont' be afraid of offsite - it can be your friend.
